OTRC: Steven Tyler: It's hard to judge 'American Idol' hopefuls

Steven Tyler says it was hard for him to judge the new batch of "American Idol" hopefuls during the preliminary auditions that took place ahead of the season 10 premiere on Wednesday.

The 62-year-old Aerosmith rocker joins singer and actress Jennifer Lopez and returning judge Randy Jackson on the FOX singing competition series, replacing Kara DioGuardi, Ellen DeGeneres and Simon Cowell, who left "American Idol" last year in a series shake-up made amid declining ratings.

"There's these kids that are 15 who are full of themselves, all entitled," he said on the ABC morning program "LIVE! with Regis & Kelly" on Tuesday.

"Some of them come up and sing 'Don't Want to Miss a Thing,'" he added, referencing a 1998 Aerosmith power ballad that appeared on the soundtrack to the movie "Armageddon." "Not only is it hard for them but it's hard for me, to take the you-know-what out of some kid, if they can't sing. I want to give them the truth."

Tyler says that DioGuardi was the one who brought up the idea of joining "American Idol" as a judge. He added that he had never watched the show, which has produced successful artists such as country singer Carrie Underwood and pop star Kelly Clarkson.

"She texted me while I was in France and was like, 'Have you ever thought about being an Idol judge?'" Tyler said. "I thought, 'The money was good, it was a good challenge and I've been judged all my life and I've judged myself.'"

"American Idol" is set to undergo some changes, it was reported in December. The top 12 contestants are set to live together in a house in the Hollywood Hills, use social media and could head to Las Vegas on a road trip. Theme weeks will feature decades instead of performances of songs by one artist and singers will made music videos.

Producer Nigel Lythgoe, who has returning to the show after a hiatus, revealed that the elimination round that cuts the contestant pool from 24 to 12 is now gone. Instead, the show will just go straight to 12 final contestants.